Grant: Fellowship - PA: First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health

Indigenous peoples in Canada suffer from significantly higher rates of diabetes and obesity, resulting in reduced quality of life. Health, government and community organizations often lack Traditional Knowledge and community ownership, required to decrease healthcare gaps and burden of disease. The limited impact of Western health services on improving health in Indigenous peoples needs to be addressed. In our previous study, three urban Indigenous Friendship Centre (FC) sites identified and prioritized healthcare gaps and community needs into a collective vision for action towards diabetes and obesity-related interventions. The FCs unanimously agreed that there was an urgent need to act on these priorities, resulting in the current study. Our current newly funded CIHR study includes three additional FC/Métis Centre (MC) sites. The overall aim is to offer both Traditional and Western approaches to diabetes and obesity health services. Site-specific, culturally safe, and locally-informed interventions will be co-developed/implemented/evaluated within the six FC/MC partner sites. Indigenous methodologies will be used to acknowledge and honour Indigenous knowledge, traditions, and protocols. Two sites will be offered to join a sub-study exploring the effects/outcomes of the community interventions on diabetes and obesity clinical variables (blood glucose, HbA1c, blood pressure, and waist circumference). One to two community interventions will be implemented at each site per year over three years. Diabetes and obesity clinical variables will be measured before, after, and one month following each intervention in the sub-study sites. The goal of the overall project is to reduce diabetes and obesity health inequities in Indigenous communities. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from this project will support change in diabetes and obesity policy, research, and practice in urban Indigenous communities and health systems, and to ultimately improve wellness.